THE BUZZ: It’s getting rough out there for California’s most vulnerable Republicans in Congress, who are squarely in the sites of a growing crowd of PACs, grassroots groups and Democratic drives to up the pressure on issues including the tax bill, DACA and Obamacare. Clearly, the GOP tax plan — highly unpopular in California — has put these House members in a big bind, while energizing Democrats who see a strategic platform to effectively push for their defeat and flip the House in next year's midterms.

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-- The latest push: A targeted and well-funded effort by End Citizens United, which yesterday announced it’s dropping $35 million on a national effort to unseat “The Big Money 20” legislators whom they’ve defined as in the pocket of big donors — 4 of them in California, the most from any state. "These are the worst of the worst in Congress," said Tiffany Muller, the group's executive director in a press call with reporters Tuesday. The group’s California targets: Reps. Duncan Hunter (CA-50), Darrell Issa (CA-48), Mimi Walters (CA-45) and Dana Rohrabacher (CA-48).

-- Three California ACLU affiliates Tuesday announced a new online ad campaign starring actress Rosario Dawson, aimed at five vulnerable California Republican House members — Reps. Paul Cook (CA-08), Issa , Devin Nunes (CA-22), Ed Royce (CA-39) and Walters — to back a clean Dream Act by the end of 2017.

-- And former Sen. Barbara Boxer’s PAC for Change is out with a new spot targeting Rohrabacher; the ad is the second of the PAC’s new “Resist and Replace” campaign targeting House Republicans who voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The first ad, “Darrell-iction,” was launched in August in Issa’s district. Watch the new ad, “From Russia with Love,” here.

VIEW FROM THE BELTWAY -- Ronald Brownstein @RonBrownstein -- “The willingness of so many CA R's to raise taxes on their own voters over time in this tax bill, at a moment when Trump is already eroding so badly in the state, remains remarkable.”

-- SPECIAL ELECTION RESULTS: Labor activist Wendy Carrillo will be L.A.'s newest Assembly member,'' by Los Angeles Times' Ellis Simani, Javier Panzar and Michael Livingston -- Democratic labor activist Wendy Carrillo won a special election in Los Angeles Tuesday night to serve out the term of former assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, who was elected to Congress in a special election earlier this year. Story

BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. San Francisco Board of Supervisors President London Breed struck back at the conservatives who have been levelling criticism at her city the wake of the Steinle verdict, but District Attorney George Gascon could be in political danger following the trial. Meanwhile, California-based Patagonia and other outdoor companies are fighting back against President Donald Trump’s move to pare back national monuments.

Where’s Jerry: No public schedule.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “One tragedy is not going to change nearly thirty years of effective, compassionate policies. One tweet is not going to bully San Francisco.Our city has always welcomed immigrants, always embraced those deemed unworthy or inferior by the far Right. And it is that approach which makes us stronger and safer. We are not stopping now. Our tolerance doesn’t kill people, the hundreds of millions of guns in the United States are what kill people.” -- SF President of the Board of Supervisors London Breed, who got a standing ovation last night delivering the city’s response to outrage from the right about the #KateSteinle verdict.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Former Darrell Issa and Breitbart News spokesman @KurtBardella: “The #RNC is following #Trump's lead and getting behind #RoyMoore in #ALSEN. The Republican Party is officially funding a sex predator who preyed on underage teenagers at the local mall. I NEVER want to be affiliated with the #GOP ever again. I'm joining the Democratic Party.”

-- "Ventura County wildfire rages over 50,000 acres, reaches Pacific Ocean as it jumps 101 Freeway, 27,000 forced to flee," by L.A. Times' Ruben Vives, Laura Nelson, Sarah Parvini, Matt Hamilton and Sonali Kohli: "The destructive Thomas fire finally met a fire line it could not jump: the Pacific Ocean. The fast-moving, wind-driven wildfire continued to rage through the city of Ventura on Tuesday evening, jumping Highway 33 and burning through oil fields before crossing the 101 Freeway into Solimar Beach, authorities said. Story.

-- "The worst is yet to come with Santa Ana winds strengthening this week,” by LATimes’ Joseph Serna: Story

-- "Wildfires raging in Southern California cap most destructive season in state history. Here’s why it’s so bad,'' by OCRegister's Susan Abram: "From Jan. 1 to Dec. 3, there were 6,762 fires that destroyed 505,391 acres. That’s 43 percent more events for the same time period last year, when 244,297 acres were destroyed, according to Cal Fire." Story.

THE TRUMP ERA:

- "California Republicans Push to Preserve Income-Tax Deduction," by WSJ's Rich Rubin and Siobhan Hughes: "Though the House and Senate have voted to repeal the deduction for state income taxes in Republican tax overhaul plans, it isn't dead yet. California Republicans are pushing for an income-tax deduction in the final tax bill being worked out by lawmakers in a House-Senate conference committee on tax legislation. ... California Republicans would like the $10,000 cap to be higher. And they want at a minimum to let taxpayers deduct $10,000 against either property or income taxes, said Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Calif.)." Story.

-- “Top seven ways the GOP tax plan will affect Californians,” by Bay Area News Group's Patrick May: “Californians, both because of their tech-driven innovation culture and perhaps because of their Democratic leanings, can expect to feel more of those impacts than, say, some guy and his wife living in Little Rock or Boise. Throw in some of the last-minute amendments that helped push the Senate bill through this past weekend by a 51-49 vote and you’ve got a whole mess of possible fallout coming our way.” Story

-- “Will the GOP tax bill lower home prices in California?” by Bay Area News Group’s Marisa Kendall: Story

-- “The President Stole Your Land” -- Patagonia, the Ventura based outdoor gear firm, has launched a lawsuit -- and a campaign -- to stop President Trump’s drastic reduction of national monument territories in Utah. See it here. Now, REI, North Face and other outdoor firms have joined the fight, via NYTimes.

--House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) wants to nix the alternative minimum tax system in the Senate tax bill, amid arguments that it could hurt the California tech industry's ability to invest in research and development, the Wall Street Journal reports. "That has to be eliminated because that would destroy R&D," McCarthy said in a CNBC interview Monday.

-- "Legal status for Dreamers gets support of nearly 3 dozen House Republicans, '' by SFChronicle's Carolyn Lochhead: "Nearly three dozen House Republicans, including three from California, fired off a warning shot to Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday, saying they have enough votes to join with Democrats to pass legislation to protect young immigrants before Congress adjourns this year. Story.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR:

-- Lawyers sue California because too many children can’t read,’’ by AP’s Julie Watson: “The advocacy law firm, Public Counsel, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court to demand the California Department of Education address its "literacy crisis." The state has not followed suggestions from its own report on the problem five years ago, the lawsuit said. Story.

-- “Backlash ripples through California politics after women denounce sexual harassment,’’ by CALMatters’ Laurel Rosenhall: “With sexual harassment and assault allegations ricocheting through the state Capitol, two female lobbyists say they soon faced the consequences of speaking out—a state senator who suddenly wanted to avoid meeting with them. ... A client of theirs relayed that the senator wanted women excluded from a meeting at a nearby watering hole. The reason: The senator and some of his colleagues had decided that, with accusations of bad behavior mounting against their fellow legislators, it would be safer to simply stop having drinks with lobbyists who happen to be female.” Story.

-- “I finally understand why male politicians have been able to sexually harass women with impunity,” by LATimes’ Robin Abcarian: “There is no tracking system for complaints and investigations. There is no coordination with the state Senate. The policy calls for “zero tolerance” against harassment, but no one has any idea what that means.” Story

-- “California, Inland Empire top U.S. in construction hiring: 7 trends you should know,” Jonathan Lansner of OCRegister: “Here are seven construction job trends worth knowing from data for the 12 months ending in October.” Story

-- “Climate scientists see alarming new threat to California,” by LATimes’ Evan Halper: “California could be hit with significantly more dangerous and more frequent droughts in the near future as changes in weather patterns triggered by global warming block rainfall from reaching the state, according to new research led by scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.” Story

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- “GOP tax plan scares California hospitals facing earthquake-proofing mandate,’’ by POLITICO Pro Health’s Victoria Colliver: “New limits on tax-exempt bond financing may not be the most hotly debated feature in the Republican tax plan. But they could have an outsize effect in California, where nonprofit hospitals rely on bonds to earthquake-proof their facilities or face closure under state law. More than 70 percent of the state's hospitals are nonprofit, with the highest concentration in tremor-prone Northern California. Many issue bonds with tax-free interest income to fund capital improvements and retrofit acute care wards under a state law designed to keep facilities standing and functional after an earthquake." Politico PRO link.

-- "Kate Steinle shooting: Federal grand jury indicts Garcia Zarate,'' by MercNews' Casey Tolan: "A federal grand jury indicted Jose Ines Garcia Zarate on Tuesday for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and being an “illegally present alien” in possession of a firearm and ammunition, federal prosecutors announced in a statement Tuesday evening. Story.

-- “The Gubernatorial Candidates Are Missing Three Big Agendas,’’ by Joe Mathews via Fox & Hounds Daily: “What are you going to do if it all goes off the rails?Politicians are advised not to advise hypotheticals, but the candidates for governor need to be pressed to explain how they would address some likely negative turns in California in the years ahead. The candidates are rolling out policy agendas, with Gavin Newsom very much ahead, as he has been in the polls. But none of the candidates have much of an agenda when it comes to the three big questions.” Story.

-- “Donald Trump impeachment effort gains steam with public. How it’s helping Tom Steyer,” by SacBee’s Christopher Cadelago: “Has Steyer, who was agonizing over a run against U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, after years of considering various elected offices, found a more fitting way to advance his advocacy?” Story

MIXTAPE:

-- “Crime rates down in California, up in L.A. County, during period of criminal justice reform,’’ via LATimes’ Makeda Easter: Story.

-- Gay then, gayer now. The new Palm Springs City Council marks a milestone in LGBT acceptance,’’ by Barrett Newkirk, The Desert Sun: Story.

MUST READ: “Weinstein’s complicity machine” by NYTimes’ Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, Susan Dominus, Jim Rutenberg and Steve Eder: “Harvey Weinstein built his complicity machine out of the witting, the unwitting and those in between. He commanded enablers, silencers and spies, warning others who discovered his secrets to say nothing. He courted those who could provide the money or prestige to enhance his reputation as well as his power to intimidate.” Story.

-- “Steven Spielberg and Meryl Streep on Trump, News and Why 'The Post' Had to Be Made Now: "Everyone I Know Is Scared,’’ by Stephen Galloway via The Hollywood Reporter: Story.

-- "Disney and Fox are closing in on deal, could be announced next week," by CNBC's David Faber: Story.

-- “Katy Perry wins $5m damages following lawsuit over Los Angeles convent,” by Ben Beaumont-Thomas for The Guardian: “Katy Perry has been awarded $5m (£3.72m) in damages after she and the Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles sued a real estate developer for maliciously interfering in Perry’s purchase of a convent.” Story

SILICON VALLEYLAND:

-- “Tech firms fail to stop abusive content – leaving the public to do the dirty work,” by The Guardian’s Sam Levin: “In the face of increasing recognition that Facebook, Google, Twitter and others have had detrimental impacts on society – whether enabling harassment and violence, spreading misinformation or threatening core functions of democracy – the companies have largely resisted fundamental changes that would reduce the damage.” Story

-- “Snapchat boss Evan Spiegel on the app that made him one of the world's youngest billionaires,” by The Guardian’s Alex Hern: Story

CANNABIS COUNTRY:

-- "Lawmakers say California's proposed marijuana rules will hurt small family farms,'' by LATimes' Patrick McGreevy: "Two legislators called Tuesday for changes to regulations for growing marijuana in California to better protect small family farmers from being driven out of business by big corporate cultivators. Story.

MEDIA MATTERS:

-- “LA Weekly Loses Advertisers in Protest of New Conservative Owners, by Daniel Kohn via The Wrap: -- Semanal Media, the company’s new owner, is made up largely of Republican donors Story.

MOVING UP: San Francisco — Brooklyn-based public relations firm Ditto today announced the hire of Kris Kitto as Vice President in its growing San Francisco office. As Vice President, Kitto will oversee West Coast account teams and assist Managing Director Blain Rethmeier in business development.

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